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US Election Lesson for Australia: Cost of Living Concerns Central to Victory, Says Minister

Australian Health Minister Mark Butler said the United States election results indicate voters want governments to focus on cost-of-living issues.
President Donald Trump and the Republican party swept the election, clinching victory in the presidential race, House, Senate, and popular vote.
His win follows a significant global rise in inflation, attributed issues such as government spending during the COVID-19 pandemic and supply shortages from the Russian-Ukraine conflict. This resulted in a severe cost-of-living crisis that overshadowed the term served by the Biden administration.
The federal Australian election is set to take place next year.
“You are seeing that election after election, households [are] expressing a very clear view that they want their governments focused on them,” he said.
“They want their governments doing everything they responsibly can to help them through this cost-of-living crisis.”
Shadow Minister for Housing, NDIS, and Social Services, Michael Sukkar, said the U.S. election sends a strong message to the Labor government.
“If we look at the electorate in the United States and the cost-of-living issues that they were dealing with, it’s pretty clear that Australians are dealing with it at a much worse level,” Sukkar told Sky News.
Butler said that the 10 to 20 percent tariff on Australian imports is not the biggest concern for Australia since the U.S.-Australia trade relationship is different to the U.S.-China trade relationship.
While the United States has a trade deficit with China, the nation has a US$14.4 billion (A$21.9 billion) trade surplus with Australia.
Butler said the tariffs could indirectly impact Australian economic interests. He said the tariffs may slow global growth, potentially raising inflationary pressures in the global economy that indirectly impact Australia rather than directly changing U.S.-Australia trading arrangements.

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